
20
LESSONS ON THE
BOOR OF LURE
2. '• TAKE heed to yourselves." Compare Gal. 6 : 1.
" If
a
man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a
one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be
tempted." The Revised Version omits the words "against thee."
" If thy brother sin, rebuke him ; and if he repent, forgive him."
This removes the personal element, which should not appear in
any case. Our duty to restore a brother is as great if the offense
be against somebody else as though it were against us, and we
are to have no more feeling over the matter because our personal
rights have been interfered with than though the offense was
against a stranger.
•
3. IN the fourth verse we have offenses against the individual
referred to. If a brother trespass against us seven times in a day,
and seven times turns and says, " I repent," we are to forgive him.
We cannot suppose that this limits the number of times we are to
forgive ; for he who would keep count of the number of times that
he was trespassed against, and the number of times that he had
forgiven, so as to be sure not to overstep the number, would
thereby show that there was no real spirit of forgiveness in him.
The idea is that there is to be nothing but a spirit of forgiveness
all- the time. "And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another; even as God for Christ's sake bath forgiven
you." Eph. 4 : 32. How does God forgive?—"All things are of God,
who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ. . .
As
though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead,
bb ye reconciled to God." 2 Cm 5: 18-20. Notice that if the
brother shall
say, "I
repent," we are to forgive him. We are not
to inquire into his motives nor his sincerity.
4.
"AND the'apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith;"
literally, "add to us faith." Whether the apostles really asked
for an increase of faith, or that they might have faith, makes no
difference; for the Saviour's answer shows that if one has faith at
.all it is sufficient. Faith cannot exist with doubt. If one has
faith as a grain of mustard seed, he has no doubt whatever; and
therefore he can do all things that may be done by faith. Such
forgiveness as is here enjoined cannot be done without faith ; for
we are to forgive as God forgives, and that • can be done only with
His Spirit, which is
ours
only by faith.
5.
EPH. 6 : 5-9 shows the proper relation between masters
and servants, as also in Matt. 20 : 25-28. No one is to exhibit
a lordry disposition toward any other. All are brethren, and there
is no respect of persons with God. Therefore Luke 17: 7-9 cannot
be construed as teaching that employers need not be grateful for
services rendered by employes. Jesus took the ordinary condition